Using figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Paquette says an estimated 51,700 Mainers were without jobs during the month. That's down 600 from a year ago, when joblessness stood at 7.4 percent.

The U.S. unemployment rate in January was estimated at 7.9 percent, while the rate in New England was 7.1 percent.

Officials say the not-seasonally-adjusted rates for Maine's counties ranged from 6.4 percent in Cumberland County to 13.2 percent in Washington County.